Derwent Drawing Pencils Tin

If possible, get the large set of 24 pencils. This is one of the most useful collections of pencils on the market. The muted, sophisticated greens and blues cannot be found anywhere else. The browns and reds are bright, rich, and luscious. These pencils are ideal for rendering animals, landscapes, and even portraits. Try them when you are drawing buildings, too. The Chinese White pencil is one of the best available, rivaling the Caran D'ache Luminance white. You will not be disappointed with the quality of these pencils. The laydown is very smooth, with excellent coverage and blendability. This is one of Derwent's best products.

Derwent "drawing" pencils work like a pastel pencil but with a softer waxy feel. The colours are ideal for portait and nature drawings. The small (6 piece) set contains your usual (sanguine)red/ (sepia & chocolate)browns/ black and white for quick drawings or portraits, the 24 piece set also has a few blues and greens, which makes them great for detailed (pet and human) portraits and even landscapes. Oh! These pencils work just as well on black paper.

The subdued pencil shades are excellent for the subtle tonal contrasts required in portrait drawings and drawings where vivid colour is not paramount. Smooth flowing on to the paper they respond well to burnishing and blending pencils. They deserve a heavier weight of quality drawing paper. I use Winsor & Newton 220gsm medium and smooth cartridge paper.